Tourism, minority languages and cultural sustainability: the case of the Ladin language in South-Tyrol, Italy

Author Bios (50 Words for each Author)

Serena Lonardi is a Pre-Doc Research Assistant at the Department of Strategic Management, Marketing and Tourism, at the University of Innsbruck (Austria). Her current research interests include: cultural tourism, intangible cultural heritage, sustainable tourism, minority languages. Her dissertation mainly considers minority languages of northeastern Italy.

Abstract (150 Words)

Cultural tourists have become increasingly interested in Intangible Cultural Heritage and in minority, peripheral areas. This paper will focus on the ICH of minority communities, with a closer look at minority languages, considering the Ladin communities of South-Tyrol (Italy). This study uses a qualitative methodology – 16 semi-structured interviews with German- and Italian-speaking tourists in Pustertal with a video presenting a real-life situation in Ladin. It reveals that, although culture is not the main motivation to travel to South-Tyrol, tourists are fascinated by tangible and intangible aspects of the South-Tyrolean culture, like the architecture, traditional lifestyle, events, practices, dresses, and the language. Particularly interesting is the role that cultural sustainability plays for the region: the successful maintenance of traditions, including the traditional languages – dialect and Ladin – are mentioned with affection. Tourism practitioners in Val Pusteria and the neighboring Ladin valleys should consider experiences in and with the Ladin language fun and interesting for tourists, but should also provide interpretation and education supports.

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Tourism, minority languages and cultural sustainability: the case of the Ladin language in South-Tyrol, Italy

Cultural tourists have become increasingly interested in Intangible Cultural Heritage and in minority, peripheral areas. This paper will focus on the ICH of minority communities, with a closer look at minority languages, considering the Ladin communities of South-Tyrol (Italy). This study uses a qualitative methodology – 16 semi-structured interviews with German- and Italian-speaking tourists in Pustertal with a video presenting a real-life situation in Ladin. It reveals that, although culture is not the main motivation to travel to South-Tyrol, tourists are fascinated by tangible and intangible aspects of the South-Tyrolean culture, like the architecture, traditional lifestyle, events, practices, dresses, and the language. Particularly interesting is the role that cultural sustainability plays for the region: the successful maintenance of traditions, including the traditional languages – dialect and Ladin – are mentioned with affection. Tourism practitioners in Val Pusteria and the neighboring Ladin valleys should consider experiences in and with the Ladin language fun and interesting for tourists, but should also provide interpretation and education supports.